The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, filter, or strainer (hereinafter referred to as a filter). The disclosure finds particular application as a filter for fluid flow, such as filtering fuel in a fuel pump environment, and is directed to entrapping or retaining large debris that enters the filter to minimize the potential for damage to the filter and/or downstream of the filter. It may find application in related environments and applications that encounter similar conditions.
Many main fuel pumps contain a filter to protect the high pressure stage, typically referred to as an interstage strainer. The purpose of the filter is to collect and retain large debris. Often the filtration level is fairly course as the main fuel filter in the system is designed to collect small particulates. The design of these filters is usually a large cylindrical screen with significant internal volume to hold large debris, e.g., a bolt, a nut, a washer, etc. When a large item is introduced into the filter, the flow velocity, engine vibration, and pump vibration cause the item to move within the filter and potentially could eventually wear through as result of repeated impact with the filter surface.
Consequently, a need exists for an improved filter that captures and immobilizes the debris, thus preventing motion that could potentially lead to wear through of the filter screen.